The Sulphers Are Here

Arrived at the cabin to find it covered with these little guys. Hot dog. Unpack and head to the water.

Hexeginia Or Bust

We are off to vacation at our cabin in Michigan. The hexeginia hatch is just one day from my grasp.

Striped Bass

The striped bass are feasting in the Northeast, taking the baby flounder fly on the flats like hungry pigs.

African Fly Fishing

If you are inclined to travel to Africa for fly fishing adventures you may encounter a tiger fish in the Congo. Put bite-guard leaders on your packing list.

FFF Conclave

The Federation of Fly Fishers Annual International Conclave is but a month away. Still time to register and find a plane ticket. Don't miss out on the fun July 28-August 1 in Loveland, Colorado. Check it out at www.fedflyfishers.org/ and click "Conclave."

Bamboo Rod

Just picked up a 4-weight, 8' bamboo fly rod. Nice, delicate action, very well constructed with attention to detail: nickle-silver reel seat, agate guide, flamed finish, nice staggering of cane nodes, impeccable thread wraps...oh, ah. Can't wait to hit the river. More to come on this baby.

Vintage

Back in the day there was no catch & release. The operative phrase was catch & cook.

Federation Of Fly Fishers, Fly Tying Group

Several folks have asked me what is going on with the FFF Fly Tying Group. A link to the FTG can be found at http://www.fedflyfishers.org/ by clicking Fly Tying in the menu bar. The group has been working on several projects, such as teaching guidelines, creating a digital archive of Federation flies, disseminating information on fly plate construction and framing, and many more.

Dohiku Hooks

The new hooks of the year are a European barbless from Dohiku. These are very good hooks, similar to other European barbless retainer bend models. Dohiku was widely used at the recent Fly Fishing World Championships in Scotland with good reviews. The hooks come in dry, streamer, scud/grub, jig, nymph and special bead head models. In the US Dohiku can be found at http://www.performanceflies.com/. The fly here, a snowshoe emerger, is tyed by Kevin Compton, proprietor of Performance Flies.

Dragon Fly

This is a high-power squirt gun.

United Fly Tyers 50th Anniversary Banquet

It's official. The United Fly Tyers will celebrate 50 years this fall. We are the country's oldest continuously operating fly tying club. There will be banquet held at Historic Longfellow's Wayside Inn in Sudbury, MA on Sunday, October 25, 2009 from 5-9pm. More details will follow, but this promises to be a fun-filled evening and a time to celebrate and reconnect with UFT if you are an old-timer who may have lost touch. Tickets will go on sale shortly and will be $40. Seating is limited to 120.

When In Maine, Leave Those Wild Atlantic Salmon Alone

Today in the Boston Globe: "The federal government dramatically extended protection yesterday for the imperiled wild Atlantic salmon in Maine, declaring that the few remaining sportfish in the Penobscot, Kennebec, and Androscoggin rivers and their tributaries are endangered."

This means that anglers cannot pursue this species. Good for the fish. Not so good for fly fishing and the economy of Maine. One has to wonder about the increased level of bureaucracy. It's never win-win with the government.

Mayfly Cakes

Recently saw this on a bulletin board.

Keep Warm While Fishing

Always on the quest to make life simple, I have devised a new method to keep warm while fly fishing. Simply roll out of bed and put your waders on over your pajamas. I was caught by the camera while fishing up north.

A Very Big Fly Box

Saw this in the parking lot of a "big box store."

A Great Gift

It was recently my birthday and I got a great gift from my partner, Amy. It is a framed Ralph Graves fly. The fly is a tandem double grey ghost trolling rig. It is very cool. Thanks!

Fly Fishing World Championships Results 2009

Well, it is official. Here are the results of the 2009 Fly Fishing Championships which concluded today in Scotland.

Individual World Champion:
Ian Barr, England

Team Placing:
1) England
2) France
3) Scotland

The Snikwah Does It Again

My friend, Mary, recently emailed this picture of a fish she caught on the Snikwah.

Final Views of Maine

Cupsuptic River

A beautiful and remote river in the heart of the Rangeley area.

Aziscohos Dam

The Magalloway River at the Aziscohos power generating dam is an amazing place to fish. Jerry and I spent the day there. The first fish were in the 7-12 inch range. Mainly rainbows and a brown. Never hooked up with a salmon. But I have to tell you about one amazing fish I caught. The water was running through the power station at a modest 335, and was was clear in the June sun. I watched a group of 3-4 larger trout cruising a back eddy. They had a fairly predictable pattern of movement which I studied from a higher vantage point for a about 30 minutes. The options were a dry fly or a streamer. I tossed a caddis right to the fish and got no response. I switched to a size 14 Hendrickson dry. After a few casts, boom. I was in a fight. The trout won, breaking off my tippet. Ugh! Plan B was to tye on an olive bead head rabbit strip fly. I dredged that through the pool in a few well-times casts. Boom! In the fight again. I had a huge fish on. After a solid 10 minutes I was able to land one angry 24-inch 'bow. No pictures, but there were witnesses. When I went to remove the hook, I also found my Hendrickson in the corner of his mouth.

Magalloway River

The Magalloway River, which winds though the Rangeley area, is an amazing waterway. Up at the Camp 10 bridge, deep in the woods, about an hour's drive on logging roads, Jerry caught an 18 inch brookie. We both landed a good number of smaller brookies as well. 4 land-locked salmon came to my fly. Actually caught and landed two at once while fishing with a 2-fly rig. They took Czech nymphs in deep fast water. The brook trout sipped dries at the tail outs.

Land Locked Salmon and Brookies

Where have I been? Roaming the wilds of Maine, cruising the deep woods and lost (and not so lost) logging roads in search of land-locked salmon, trout and brookies with my friend Jerry. We drove up to the Rangeley area with his truck and Winnebago, landing at Black Brook Cove Campground as our home base. There we joined the black flies, which I call the defenders of the wilderness, in our quest. First, I must say that the north woods of Maine are matchless in beauty. We had a few encounters with the locals. Moose, that is.